Read the Following Excerpt From a Modest Proposal

For preventing the children of poor people in Ireland, from beingness a burden on their parents or land, and for making them benign to the publick.

It is a melancholy object to those, who walk through this dandy town, or travel in the country, when they encounter the streets, the roads and cabbin-doors crowded with beggars of the female person sex activity, followed by three, iv, or 6 children, all in rags, and importuning every passenger for an alms. These mothers instead of being able to work for their honest livelihood (…)

I think it is agreed by all parties , that this prodigious number of children in the artillery, or on the backs, or at the heels of their mothers, and oftentimes of their fathers, is in the present deplorable state of the kingdom, a very bang-up additional grievance; and therefore whoever could observe out a fair, cheap and easy method of making these children audio and useful members of the common-wealth, would deserve so well of the publick, as to have his statue set for a preserver of the nation.

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As to my ain part , having turned my thoughts for many years, upon this important subject, and maturely weighed the several schemes of our projectors, I have ever found them grossly mistaken in their computation. It is true, a child merely dropt from its dam, may be supported by her milk, for a solar year, with niggling other nourishment: at most not to a higher place the value of two shillings, which the mother may certainly get, or the value in scraps, past her lawful occupation of begging; and information technology is exactly at one year old that I advise to provide for them in such a style, as, instead of existence a charge upon their parents, or the parish, or wanting food and raiment for the remainder of their lives, they shall, on the contrary, contribute to the feeding, and partly to the cloathing of many thousands.

There is besides another bang-up reward in my scheme , that information technology volition forbid those voluntary abortions, and that horrid do of women murdering their bastard children, alas! too frequent amongst united states of america, sacrificing the poor innocent babes, I doubt, more to avert the expence than the shame, which would move tears and pity in the well-nigh savage and inhuman chest.

The number of souls in this kingdom existence usually reckoned one 1000000 and a half, of these I calculate there may exist near two hundred thousand couple whose wives are breeders; from which number I subtract thirty thousand couple, who are able to maintain their ain children, (although I apprehend there cannot be and so many, nether the nowadays distresses of the kingdom) just this being granted, there will remain an hundred and seventy thousand breeders. I again decrease fifty thousand, for those women who miscarry, or whose children die by accident or disease within the year. There only remain an hundred and twenty 1000 children of poor parents annually built-in. The question therefore is, How this number shall exist reared, and provided for? which, as I have already said, under the present state of affairs of affairs, is utterly impossible by all the methods hitherto proposed. For we tin neither employ them in handicraft or agriculture; we neither build houses, (I mean in the country) nor cultivate land: they can very seldom pick up a livelihood by stealing till they make it at six years old ; except where they are of towardly parts, although I confess they learn the rudiments much earlier; during which time they tin however be properly looked upon just every bit probationers: As I accept been informed by a master gentleman in the canton of Cavan, who protested to me, that he never knew above ane or two instances nether the age of six, fifty-fifty in a part of the kingdom so renowned for the quickest proficiency in that fine art.

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I practise therefore humbly offer it to publick consideration , that of the hundred and xx one thousand children, already computed, 20 chiliad may be reserved for brood, whereof only one fourth part to be males; which is more than than we allow to sheep, black cattle, or swine, and my reason is, that these children are seldom the fruits of union, a circumstance not much regarded by our savages, therefore, 1 male volition be sufficient to serve iv females. That the remaining hundred m may, at a year old, be offered in sale to the persons of quality and fortune, through the kingdom, ever advising the mother to let them suck plentifully in the last month, so as to return them plump, and fat for a skillful table. A child will brand two dishes at an entertainment for friends, and when the family dines lone, the fore or hind quarter will make a reasonable dish, and seasoned with a trivial pepper or salt, will be very good boiled on the fourth day, particularly in wintertime.

Later all, I am non then violently bent upon my own opinion, equally to refuse any offer, proposed by wise men, which shall be plant equally innocent, cheap, easy, and effectual.  But earlier something of that kind shall exist advanced in contradiction to my scheme, and offering a better, I desire the author or authors will exist pleased maturely to consider 2 points. Offset, As things at present stand up, how they will be able to discover food and raiment for a hundred thousand useless mouths and backs. And secondly, There existence a round million of creatures in humane figure throughout this kingdom, whose whole subsistence put into a common stock, would leave them in debt two million of pounds sterling, adding those who are beggars by profession, to the bulk of farmers, cottagers and labourers, with their wives and children, who are beggars in upshot; I desire those politicians who dislike my overture, and may peradventure be so assuming to attempt an answer, that they volition first ask the parents of these mortals, whether they would not at this 24-hour interval think it a great happiness to have been sold for food at a year old, in the fashion I prescribe, and thereby take avoided such a perpetual scene of misfortunes, equally they have since gone through, by the oppression of landlords, the impossibility of paying rent without coin or trade, the want of mutual sustenance, with neither firm nor cloaths to cover them from the inclemencies of the weather condition, and the most inevitable prospect of intailing the like, or greater miseries, upon their breed for ever.

I profess, in the sincerity of my center, that I have not the to the lowest degree personal interest in endeavouring to promote this necessary work, having no other motive than the publick skilful of my land, by advancing our trade, providing for infants, relieving the poor, and giving some pleasure to the rich. I take no children, past which I can propose to get a single penny; the youngest being 9 years old, and my wife past child-bearing.

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Source: https://lrcapuana.com/2021/01/21/excerpt-from-a-modest-proposal-by-j-swift/

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